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(No Model.)

E- J. B. WHITAKBR.

POP GUN.

Patented July 22, 1884.

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W m m NlTE ATENT OFFICE;

POP-.GUN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 302367, date& July 22, 1884. A pplcation filed February 8, 1884. (No model.)

TO LLZZ whom it ''ay (3072067 72,

Be it known that I, ELIJAH .I. BVHITAKER, residing in the city, County, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Pop-Guns; and I do hercby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification.

My invention relates to a simple pop-gun, designed as a child's toy.

It consists in uniting the outer plug or stopper for the tube with its plunger by a fiexible connection of such length as that when the plunger is drawn back into the tube far enough to produce by its forward movement the required compression of air it shall ope'rate automatically to seat the plug in the mouth of the tube tightly enough to permit of such compression. It consists, furthermore, in fitting to the inner end of the tube a second plug or stopper,

mounted to slide freely on the stem of the plunger, and adapted to be driven to its seat in the tube by the forward movement of the plunger, so as to be forcibly eXpelled therefrom by the compression of the air produced by the backward movement of the plunger.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a longtudinal sectional view of my improved pop-gun when ready for action to discharge its front stopper; Fig. 2, a similar view illustrating the device in readiness for action to produce a discharge of the rear stopper. Figs. 3 and l illustrate modifications of the invention.

Arepresents the open-ended tube of the popgun, which may be of any suitable description, of any suitable material, and of any desirable outward configuration. &Vithin the tube is fitted inthe customary mannerja piston or plunger, B, adapted to traverse freely therein with as nearly as possible an air-tight joint. This plunger B is actuated in the customary manner by a rod, C, secured centrally thereto., and which is of such length as that it will eX- tend out far enough from the rear end of the tube,when the plunger is near to its forward end, to receive a suitable handle, D, or other- I wise furnish a proper hold for the operator. Aplu g or stopper, E,is made to fit securely into the front` end of the tube, and for this purpose it is preferably made of cork or other elastic material and of a slightly tapering form, so that it shall enter and wedge closely into its seat. A similar plug or stopper, E', is fitted into the rear end of the tube, and is centrally perforated to adnit of the passage through it of the plunger-red C with as nearly as possible an air-tight joint. The front stopper, E, is firmly connected to the front end of the plunger B by a strong fleXible cord, F, of such length as that when the plunger is drawn back to the rear-end of the tube into close proximity to the seat for the rear stopper, E ,as shown in Fig. 1, the front stopper, E, will be thereby automatically drawn and fitted into' its seat, and the plunger arrested, so that it may not bewithdrawn entirely from the tube. The stopper is arrested,when it becomes properly seated, by means of a shoulder or an offset, 71, on its front end, and which may be formed by an outer overlapping plate, G. (See Fig. 2.) The rear stopper, E', moves freely upon the rod C, and is driven into its seat in the rear of the tube,when the plunger B is pushed inward into proximity to the seat for the front stopper, E, (as shown in Fig. 2,) by means of a shoulder or an offset, i, of any suitable description, formed upon the rod, this shoulder or ofiset servng also as a stop ger from passing too far into the tube.

to prevent the plun- As an equivalent for the fleXible cord F, to

couple the plunger B with the stopper E, I contemplate the use of two wires, S S,- Fig. 3, secured firmly to the plug and adapted to pass freely through the plunger, their entire withdrawal being prevent cd by stops on their outer ends, so that the plunger and stopper shall have free movement independent of each other, except so far as limited by the length of said wires; Fig. 4, may be used to project centrally from the plunger B in a right line with or as an eX- tension of its rod C, and play freely through the stopper E with an air-tight joint, the withdrawal of the stopper therefrom being pre- Vented by a stop on the end of said extensionrod T.

Although I have' described the automatic pop-gun as constructed with a rear stopper, E', to act as an auxliary to the front stopper, E, and so make the pop-gun double-acting, it

or a single infiexible rod or wire, T,

a single-acting pop-gun working with but a I single plug` or stoppcr, E.

lu the use of the device, when the plunger B is d rawn back to its full extent into the tube A, the front stopper, E, is thereby drawn into its seat, plugging and closing completely the front end of the tube. If now the plunger be pushed .i'orcibly forward, the body of air confined between the plunger and stopper will be comprcssed until the frictional contact of the stopper with the tube is overcome and the stopper violently expelled, the expansion of the compressed air thereby released producinga lond report. As the plnnger is thus pushed forward to cxpe'l the front stopper, E, the rear sropper, E', will be earried to its seat by the shoulder i ol' the handle, thns elosing the rear end of the tube, so that as the plunger is drawn back the air compressed between it and said rear stopper is in turn compressed to prodnce its cxpnlsion and a second loud report. As the front stopper becomes seated by this movement' of the plnnger, the gun is charged in rcadiness for a repetition ofthe first movement, and by a quick movement of the plnnger back and forth a constant succession of loud explosive reports may be very rapidly produced.

I claim as myinventionl. A self-charging pop-gun consisting ol' an open ended tube, a plnnger working in said tube, a plug or stopper adapted to close one end thereol", and a eord or rod coupling the stopper with the plnnger and permitting a limited independent movement of the two, snbstantially in the manner and for the purpose hcrein set forth.

2. A double-acting self-eharging pop-gun consisting` of an open-ended tube, a plunger working in said tube, a rod actnating said plnnger and extending` out from one end of the tube, a plug or stopper moving upon said rod and adapted to close the end of the tube and to be driven to its seat by an ol'fset or shoulder on the red, and a second plug or stopper adapted to close the opposite end of the tube, and which is eonpled to the plunger by a eord or rod permitting` a limited independent movement of the two, all snbstan tially in the nanner and for the in set forth.

In testimonywhereof I have si gncd my name to this speeifieation in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

E. J. B. XVIIITAKER.

purpose here W'itnesses:

P. ELBERT NOSTRAND, A. XV. STEIGER. 

